Fang Hao surrounded himself with an especially large number of formations—mainly as a precaution in case Wu Yuqi, the spoiled and arrogant noble, got any nasty ideas and disrupted his cultivation.

Once he confirmed everything was in place, Fang Hao began circulating his cultivation technique.

"Whoosh!!"

Fang Hao felt like he had opened a valve—energy infused with the Immortal Beast's blood essence in the pool surged madly into his body, flowing toward him at a rate faster than all four of the others combined.

At this moment, Fang Hao was like a man dying of thirst stumbling upon a spring. Without a word, he began gulping down the energy like a ravenous beast.

Only the two guards standing at the edge of the pool could see it clearly—the pool's water was visibly shifting toward Fang Hao's location. The other four didn't stand a chance of competing.

Fortunately, the energy in the Immortal Beast's blood was vast, and the pool itself was large enough. Otherwise, the others would have only managed to "drink soup," while Fang Hao devoured all the "meat."

One month later, Fang Hao successfully broke through to the seventh level of the Heavenly Palace Realm.

"Still not enough. Too slow!"

Unsatisfied, Fang Hao accelerated his absorption again. After stabilizing his current level, he continued consuming the essence with full force.

Three months later, he advanced to the eighth level of the Heavenly Palace Realm.

Still not content, Fang Hao formed complex seals with both hands and activated his full Saint Body. His absorption rate soared again.

It wasn't until the year-long cultivation period ended, and he had advanced to the first level of the Dharma Manifestation Realm, that Fang Hao finally opened his eyes. A faint smile hung on his face—he was more than satisfied.

Normally, advancing from Heavenly Palace sixth-layer to Dharma Manifestation first-layer would take years and an immense amount of resources.

But now, he had done it in just one year, and without using any of his own resources. Who wouldn't be thrilled by that?

Deactivating the formation around him, Fang Hao looked around—and realized that besides the two guards, he was the only one left in the pool.

"Mr. Fang, please," the guards said respectfully.

Fang Hao nodded and followed them out.

Thankfully, Wu Yuqi and the others weren't there. If they had seen his rate of improvement, they'd surely have been green with envy.

The same opportunity, same amount of time—yet the others had only managed a single breakthrough, while Fang Hao had broken through four times.

He owed this to his Primordial Saint Body.

This physique required much more energy to cultivate and advance, but in the presence of abundant resources, its cultivation speed was anything but slow.

The energy Fang Hao absorbed in this year was enough to allow dozens of Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivators to break through twice.

Which illustrated just how resource-hungry his constitution truly was.

After exiting the secret realm, the butler escorted Fang Hao to receive his top-five prize rewards, consisting of various cultivation resources.

Fang Hao selectively chose those that could be brought home to help the Fang Clan earn more spirit stones.

"Brother Fang, these are special gifts the City Lord instructed me to give you personally. He hopes you will perform well in the Hundred City Tournament," the butler said, handing over an additional storage ring.

Clearly, the City Lord appreciated Fang Hao and wanted to establish goodwill early by offering extra benefits.

Even if Fang Hao didn't remain in Qilan City in the future, this would still be a connection worth having. After all, the more friends you have, the more paths you can walk.

Fang Hao understood this well and accepted the gesture without resistance.

"Please thank the City Lord on my behalf. I, Fang, will remember his kindness."

Seeing how tactful Fang Hao was, the butler nodded in satisfaction.

After leaving the City Lord's manor, Fang Hao returned home. Jin Tianlu was already waiting for him.

Once inside—

"You made quite a gain this time, huh?" Jin Tianlu remarked.

"It was okay," Fang Hao replied casually.

Someone unfamiliar with Fang Hao might think he truly meant "okay," but Jin Tianlu knew better—Fang Hao's 'okay' was a massive windfall by anyone else's standard.

"You broke through to the Dharma Manifestation Realm, didn't you?" he asked tentatively.

Fang Hao nodded.

Jin Tianlu gasped in shock, wearing a "I knew it" expression.

One year, and he had gone from Heavenly Palace sixth-layer to Dharma Manifestation first-layer—and he still said "okay."

Jin Tianlu had met many people in his life, but Fang Hao was becoming increasingly incomprehensible to him.

He had talent, strength, a calm mind beyond his years, and unmatched humility.

Jin Tianlu couldn't help but imagine: if he had Fang Hao's gifts at that age, he'd be strutting around the city like a god.

Just then, Fang Hao asked, "Has anything suspicious been happening around here lately?"

The issue with Guan Long and Guan Min had made Fang Hao realize that the Guan Clan must have influence in Qilan City. Having taken out both of their heirs, it was likely they'd start targeting him next. He needed to stay alert.

"There have been a lot of visitors—most of them trying to recruit you. But the Guan Clan hasn't shown up," Jin Tianlu replied.

Among the top five from the selection tournament, Fang Hao was the only unaffiliated rogue cultivator. With his immense talent, he naturally became the focus of recruitment efforts.

If Fang Hao stood out in the Hundred City Tournament, even the City Lord might step in personally.

And if he truly dazzled—then the City Lord wouldn't even get the chance. Much more powerful factions would come knocking.

Fang Hao fell silent for a moment before saying, "Don't come looking for me for a while. I won't be leaving my place either."

Although dueling was forbidden within the city, factions with enough influence could easily deal with someone like Fang Hao—who had no backing—without anyone noticing.

The best option was to find a safe place to lie low.

"You're right. Better to keep a low profile for now. Wait until you're on your way to the Hundred City Tournament," Jin Tianlu agreed.

"That's what I was thinking," Fang Hao said.

"You should stay at an inn. This place isn't safe either," Jin Tianlu added.

"Alright, I'll head out now."

The largest inn in the city was located in the bustling center, surrounded by experts and fortified with formations. Each room was protected from spying—far safer than his current lodging.

Together, they went to Yuelai Inn, a high-status chain similar to the famed Ruyi Pavilion, and widely respected across the Mingyue Immortal Dynasty.

Flush with cash, Fang Hao directly negotiated with the innkeeper and booked a room for four years.

During this time, inn staff would neither disturb him nor allow visitors to interrupt. Fang Hao would have complete freedom inside.

Before settling in, Fang Hao visited Ruyi Pavilion and purchased a large batch of cultivation resources, spending every last one of his spirit stones.

Remember—he had earned over ten thousand high-grade spirit stones just from betting on himself during the matches.

So when he spent them all at once, the manager Wang thought he might have gotten into trouble and was preparing to skip town.

It wasn't until Fang Hao explained that he planned to enter secluded cultivation that Manager Wang relaxed. Fang Hao was a premium customer—not someone he wanted to lose.

Once everything was in place, Fang Hao entered his room at the Yuelai Inn and laid down formation layers.

To outsiders, it looked like Fang Hao was hiding to escape the Guan Clan's retaliation.

But in truth, he had already returned to the Fang Clan in the Tianyuan Realm via the Dual Crossing Gate.

There, he handed some useful items he received from the City Lord's manor to Fang Ting, and collected his share of the family profits. He then spent peaceful days with his parents and sister.

After all, he had just experienced an enormous surge in cultivation and needed time to consolidate his foundation before pushing any further.

Meanwhile…

Fang Ting and Yin Xianhong had been together for years, spending countless nights studying mysterious cultivation methods. Both had improved significantly.

Only after years of affection did Yin Xianhong reluctantly leave Cangzhou to travel again.

In the past, her journeys took six to seven years before she returned.

This time, however, she was back in just over three years—and entered Fang Ting's room without coming out again.

Her cultivation level was too high, and despite their "efforts," she remained unable to conceive even after years of intimacy.

But Fang Ting wasn't worried. With their cultivation levels, they were still considered very young. They had plenty of time.

As long as they kept trying, they'd eventually succeed.

He'd already proven that truth three times—with the births of Fang Ying, Fang Yundao, and Fang Kong.